A young woman engineer spearheading Jaguar Land Rover’s drive towards self-driving autonomous cars has been named the British motor industry’s female star of the year.

Amy Rimmer, 29, topped Autocar's list of 100 Great British Women working in the UK’s motor industry.

The research engineer for JLR’s Autonomous Vehicle Control is working at the heart of the UK carmaker’s push to create cars that help motorists with advanced assistance technology and could one day drive themselves without human input.

In the driving seat: Amy Rimmer from Jaguar Land Rover has top the list of the 100 Great British Women in the Car Industry

As well as taking the top title in the Autocar Great British Women awards, she also won her category for vehicle development.

Long-running motoring magazine, Autocar, said it 'launched the Great British Women in the Car Industry initiative to inspire more women to consider a career in the industry we love'.

It added: 'The current imbalance between the numbers of men and women in the industry is dramatic. It is our hope that by shining a spotlight on those who have both reached the top, and those we consider to be the industry's brightest rising stars, more women will consider the rich, exciting careers that are open to them.'

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Originally from King’s Lynn in Norfolk and just married last year, Amy said: ‘I truly believe the introduction of autonomous technology on vehicles will make the world a better place.

‘The fact that it is such a high profile area is positive because it drives the technology. For me personally it's the technology that interests me and that's why I enjoy my job so much.

‘I've always liked maths and science at school and I thought engineering was a useful application of maths. It wasn't until I started my university course that I really knew I would be an engineer for ever.’

‘My experience of being a woman in the engineering industry has been really positive. It's a great industry to be in with all the interesting emerging technologies coming out so it should appeal to any engineer.

‘I've never been made to feel like I can't do or achieve anything because I'm a woman and I don't think any woman should ever feel like that.’

At JLR she is working on the firm’s ambitious plan to create cars that can drive themselves – using a prototype autonomous Range Rover Sport – as well as communicate with one another and navigate their way safely through busy roads, traffic lights and junctions, to their destination.

Dr Rimmer is spearheading Jaguar Land Rover's autonomous car development

Amy Rimmer is a Cambridge University graduate with a CV that includes working at McLaren and Volvo trucks

Amy works on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems and says she aspires to be a globally recognised expert on the subject.

It is part of a £20million ‘UK Autodrive’ three-year research and development project that will involve trials on public roads around Milton Keynes and Coventry later this year.

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Dr Rimmer graduated from Cambridge with a masters degree in mechanical engineering in 2010 having already gained automotive experience during a spell interning at the McLaren F1 team’s vehicle dynamics department.

She went onto to complete a PhD in vehicle dynamics at Cambridge working with Volvo Trucks on autonomous driving, before joining JLR in 2015 as a research engineer.

The Autocar Great British Women awards awards are run by the world’s longest running motoring magazine , backed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and announced today at a special conference of female motor industry executives at Twickenham Stadium in West London.

The top 100 women were selected from a range of key areas in the car industry: vehicle development, manufacturing, purchasing, retail, marketing, communications, apprentices, motorsport, design and executive.

A winner was selected in each area, and the overall winner chosen from that shortlist.

The women were chosen based on their influence – and potential future influence - on the automotive industry.

In backing her submission, Jaguar Land Rover offered praise for ‘her significant work as an autonomous research engineer’ and her ‘passion and commitment’ to the car industry.

Jaguar Land Rover is launching a major recruitment drive for hi-tech engineers to help its push to develop driverless and electric vehicles, amid concerns of a UK skills shortage.

It announced this week it is looking to recruit up to 5,000 more people on top of its existing 42,000 workforce.

Mark Tisshaw, editor of Autocar magazine said: ‘This year’s Top 100 Rising Stars event is testament to the breadth and diversity of skills among the female workforce in the global automotive industry, and we warmly congratulate all of them on their achievements.

‘In times of change and ground-breaking electric, connected and autonomous technology, it is crucial that the industry continues to attract the brightest and best candidates to maintain momentum.

‘Under-representation of women in the industry is something it has begun to tackle head-on, and the response to this year’s event to highlight its rising stars has been hugely encouraging.’